Joy of Jesus

Luke 2:10

    "But the angel said to them:

'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you; You will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger" 

    When I was a kid, the excitement around Christmas time was huge. I remember sitting by the Christmas tree looking at my gifts excited to see what I got each year. I remember dancing and singing to Christmas music. I remember being excited to see what role I got in my church's Christmas play every year. When I was about 7 years old, I got to be Mary which I thought was a BIG DEAL! Mary was Jesus's mom and a big part of his birth. I remember leaving the cookies and milk out. I remember even my dad telling us stories of how he got out of bed one night to see Santa and how he got no presents because he wasn't asleep; despite my excitement of being over at our friends and Christmas morning happening soon, I had to get to sleep. Christmas was an exciting time of year when I would write lists to Santa, at my mom's house we went to our family Christmas party, and at Dad's house when I was little, we always spent it at our friend's house. 

    As I got older, I still felt a little bit of the excitement stay. However, this excitement now was mixed with complicated emotions. Winter is my least favorite time of the year. The cold, the snow, the ice, and the grey clouds tend to lower my mood. I have always been ok if it were to stay 70 degrees all year around (I will even joke and say 90 degrees is the minimum temperature I would take). The ice makes it hard to walk and to drive. The snow is beautiful to look at, but the cold and snow are not something I want to be out in. One thing I have always loved about winter is getting snow days, but that rarely happens anymore. I joke that winter would be perfect if it only snowed Christmas through my birthday which would be about 10 days of snow. 

    This year is different though. Where I normally struggle the most this time of year also with grief and feelings of low mood, this year I feel the same excitement I had as a kid. It is not the excitement of Santa coming down my chimney or getting gifts, but it is this excitement of knowing Jesus in this holiday season and growing more in his word. I feel like the winter blues I typically get are so overcome with excitement that I don't really feel this dread I normally get. Maybe this was like the excitement the shepherds or the wise men felt many years ago as they journeyed to meet the Messiah. I can only imagine what that night was like for them. 

    Excitement is not the only thing that constitutes joy. I know that it sounds like I am just having the perfect Christmas this year, but the truth is far from that. The reality is that grief always enters the room this time of year as memories flood my mind of time spent with people I am no longer around. The reality is that I miss the time I am also missing with those people. Christmas has never exactly come easy to me. I think the realization that I will not mess up the celebration of Jesus' birth because of my grief and struggles has brought me this freedom to have joy that lasts through hardship. If grief comes, then it will come and I can deal with it when it does happen. Jesus was no stranger to grief, and that is something I remind myself of so much this holiday season. Jesus did not let it stop him from coming. Joy is not sweeping the pain under the rug to put on a happy face for the family, but looking to Jesus in the midst of whatever we are going through. We can be real with Jesus as much as we can celebrate him. 

    I have heard that happiness is only temporary and joy is permanent. When we look into the eyes of God, we are looking at an eternal being. God is the eternal source of our joy. When I would open presents on Christmas morning as a kid, my happiness for that gift would eventually fade. I would outgrow the clothes, the toys, and the other gifts I got. The joy of Christmas is the birth of Jesus is forever a joy-filled turning point in our relationship with God. The eternal joy that comes from this is the joy of an eternal relationship with God. I am reading of all the sacrifices and offerings that had to be made to enter the presence of the Lord; with Jesus, he came in the fulfillment of that. He humbled himself for us because he loved us.